PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Louisiana

Vernon Parish, LA

Vernon Parish sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.

49.3%
low-access pop.
6
food-desert tracts
14.6%
on SNAP
47K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 LA

The food-access picture

49.3% of Vernon Parish residents live in a low-access area, and 6 of its 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

10
low-access tracts
12K
food-desert residents
6.2%
households, no vehicle
19.0%
below poverty line

Low access = living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket. Food deserts add a low-income condition (USDA LILA, 1-and-10-mile measure).

Vernon Parish carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 49.3% is well above the national share. 10 of the county's 12 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 25,798 people. 6 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 11,602 low-income residents.

How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts

The USDA measures food access by distance to the nearest supermarket. A census tract is "low-access" when a meaningful share of residents live more than one mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than ten miles in rural areas. A tract becomes a "food desert" only when it is both low-access and low-income, because distance is far harder to overcome for households without a car or a cushion in the budget. Counts on this page are aggregated from the tract level, where the federal data is actually published, so a single county figure can hide neighbourhoods that are much better or much worse served than the average. Distance also does not capture everything that shapes whether a family eats well: the presence of a full-service grocer rather than a convenience store, public transit, food pantries, and the price and quality of what is on the shelf all matter beyond the radius the Atlas can draw.

How Vernon Parish compares nationally

Vernon Parish sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 49.3% low-access share outpaces 93% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #212 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Vernon Parish: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 12 census tracts in Vernon Parish, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Vernon Parish, LA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 2 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 4 limited, 6 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 12 tracts evaluated. 2 tracts adequate (16.7%) 4 tracts limited (33.3%) 6 tracts severe / food desert (50.0%) Adequate 17% Limited 33% Severe 50% Food-access tier distribution: Vernon Parish, LA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Vernon Parish vs. other Louisiana counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Louisiana

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Vernon Parish
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts12
Atlas Population (2010 basis)52,334
Low-Access Tracts10
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)6
Low-Access Population25,798
Low-Access Share49.3%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population11,602

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Vernon Parish
IndicatorValue
Population47,117
Median Household Income$57,270
Poverty Rate19.0%above the national average
SNAP Households2,677
SNAP Participation Rate14.6%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle6.2%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population3.2%
SNAP participation in Vernon Parish 14.6%

About 14.6% of Vernon Parish households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 49.3% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 14.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,677 households here.
  • 6.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 6 tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access).

USDA low-access figures reflect the 2019 Atlas (2010 tract populations); socioeconomic context is the latest Census ACS 5-year (2024).

What the food-access data shows for Vernon Parish

well above the national share

6 of Vernon Parish's 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 50.0% of all its tracts.

A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 10.

An estimated 25,798 residents, roughly 49.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 11,602 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 2 tracts (16.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Vernon Parish

Vernon Parish has 34 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 18 locations (53% of the total), followed by convenience store.

Combination Grocery/Other · 18

  • cvs pharmacy 10558, leesville
  • dollar general 10238, anacoco
  • dollar general 13922, hornbeck
  • dollar general 2054, leesville
  • dollar general 4032, leesville
  • dollar general 6459, leesville
  • dollartree 10282, leesville
  • dollar general 15954, leesville
  • dollar general 16728, pitkin
  • dollar general 17054, simpson
  • dollar general 19901, leesville
  • dollar general 22387, anacoco
  • dollar general 24139, leesville
  • dollar general 4162, rosepine
  • dollar tree 1464, leesville
  • family dollar 909, leesville
  • soileaus cajun specialty meats, rosepine
  • walgreens 10538, leesville

Convenience Store · 12

  • anacoco mercantile llc, anacoco
  • circle k 7748, leesville
  • d&j's grocery#1,llc, pitkin
  • fox stop, llc, leesville
  • murphy usa 7534, leesville
  • polk pit stop, leesville
  • shop a lotte 6, leesville
  • shoprite 50, leesville
  • shoprite 64, leesville
  • slagle mall, leesville
  • south end mobil, leesville
  • strother's country store, pitkin

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • duhon & son's meat processing, leesville

Military Commissary · 1

  • fort polk commissary 119, fort polk

Super Store · 1

  • walmart supercenter 405, leesville

Supermarket · 1

  • market basket 40, leesville

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Louisiana

Acadia Parish
6.6% low-access · 24.4% SNAP
Allen Parish
28.1% low-access · 26.5% SNAP
Ascension Parish
42.3% low-access · 12.2% SNAP
Assumption Parish
0.9% low-access · 19.9% SNAP
Avoyelles Parish
20.5% low-access · 27.9% SNAP
Beauregard Parish
55.8% low-access · 17.5% SNAP

Compare Vernon Parish vs Acadia Parish → · All Louisiana counties →

Food access nationally, Louisiana in context

Vernon Parish sits inside Louisiana (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Vernon Parish has low food access? ▼
49.3% of residents in Vernon Parish, LA live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Vernon Parish? ▼
14.6% of households in Vernon Parish receive SNAP, covering 2,677 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Vernon Parish? ▼
The poverty rate in Vernon Parish, LA is 19.0%, with a median household income of $57,270 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Vernon Parish a food desert? ▼
6 of Vernon Parish's 12 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Vernon Parish households lack a vehicle? ▼
6.2% of households in Vernon Parish have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
Data Sources & Methodology

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019): low-access and food-desert tract classifications, low-access population, and low-income low-access counts. ers.usda.gov/food-access-research-atlas

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates: population, median income, poverty, SNAP participation, vehicle access, and group quarters. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs

Low access is defined as living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket; a food desert adds a low-income condition. Read the full methodology →

Data current as of (most recent source-data vintage; figures reflect the 2019 USDA Atlas and 2024 Census ACS).

Note: This page presents public USDA and Census data for informational purposes and is not professional advice. Figures reflect the cited dataset vintages and may differ from the most recent local conditions. How this data is sourced & verified.